Set Your Sails for the Holidays on a Fabulous Cruise

With school breaks, nagging relatives, crummy weather and a host of entertainment obligations, jumping overboard for the holidays may be on your mind.  However, there's no need to do it... You can take the whole family aboard one of the world's finest Cunard cruise ships for an affordable, luxury getaway.

Whether you and your family choose to make a historic Transatlantic Crossing, or explore the wonders of the Canary Islands, spending the holidays aboard a Cunard ocean liner is an unforgettable holiday cruise vacation experience. Just ask royalty, pop stars and celebrities like Monty Norman, pictured here, the Hollywood composer of the famous James Bond theme. He sailed aboard Cunard to the London premiere of "Skyfall" as the man who wrote the music for "Dr. No" -- the serie's first film, and for 25 others.

And, surprisingly but fortunately, select 7-day to 26-day December voyages to destinations around the globe still have availability.

During the winter holidays, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are beautifully decorated with elegant and traditional Christmas decorations that are fun for children to experience.  These ships, more elegant than glittery historic liners like Titanic (but of course far safer!) have a surprising amount of fun activities in store for families, as you can see by Keith McCarthy's review of Cunard Ships for Family Travel Forum.

As we go to press Thanksgiving week, we can see that the holiday cruises with availability (and great last minute prices) include:

Queen Mary 2

• Atlantic Isles Discovery (11 days) – 4 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $1,399
• Grand Caribbean Fiesta (26 days) – 15 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $5,090
• Westbound Transatlantic Crossing (7 days) – 15 December from Southampton to New York; fares from $649
• Caribbean Fiesta (12 days) – 22 December roundtrip from New York; fares from $2,295

Queen Victoria

• Canary Islands Celebration (16 days) – 20 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $4,395
• Northern Adventure (7 days) – 13 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $999 

Queen Elizabeth

• Iberian Serenade (10 days) – 9 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $1,099
• Mediterranean Celebration (18 days) – 19 December roundtrip from Southampton; fares from $2,699 

Fares are per person, based on double occupancy, with steeply discounted rates for children.  For more information about Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, or Queen Elizabeth, or to book a voyage, consult your travel agent, call Cunard at 800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com.